Semirimless spectacle



June 19, 1951 F STEGEMAN 2,557,321

SEMIRIMLESS SPECTACLE Filed Oct. 27, 1948 INVENTOR.

R.F.E. STEGE MAN m. mu

Patented June 1 9, .1951

UNITED STATES; PATENT OFFICE 2,557,32i 7 sE'Mi ItiMLiiss si itecmenenaymohii'l E, "St'egeman, Greeee, N; assig'nor to Barse & Lonib ptialcompany; not! ester, N. Y., a corporation or New York ApplicationOctober 27, 1948, Serial No. 56,885

4 Claims.

This invention relates to spectacles and more particularly 'it hasrerrehee to spectacles of the seinirim1ess type wherei a frame member ispositioned rearwardly of the lenses and extends a-lohg their top andtemporal edges.

Ih one such type of serhi-rimles's spectacles the lenses are secured tothe frame member by means of s'crews which pass through holes formed inthe lehs and are threaded into lugs which are secured to the framemember and positioned against the rear surface of the lens. Whenattaching the lenses, it is, therefore, necessary that the holes in thelenses be accurately located and drilled. Otherwise, the 'frame memberwill be '50 positioned that it puts 'a' strain hpoh lthe lens orhr'ese'nts an unsightly appearance. Ffirthermore, such frame members-e"'anhtt readily be a'djh'sted to accommodate lehses' of Various sizesand shapes. a I I One or the objects of this invention is to brovide a*smi-ri'mless spectacle havih'g "a oohstrii'c ti which will liminate theabeve ihehtioned iiihicult'ies. Another 'ob'jeot is to provi e aspectame of the W156 described which emho'di'es I'h''aiii's whereby thefraihe member whieh'oaji'r'ie's the lens holding meah's may be adjustedrelatire to the lens. A further object is to provide iii a spectacle ofthejtype descrip'ed aninihroifed con ti'on embodying a resilient framemember which functions to hold t e 'Stil'1 an other object is to provi esiich a spectac e mounting in Whih the bridge is suspendea Horn '21sihgle frame member and the sides of the bridge harry lens holding meansfor 'figaglfig the nasal edges of the lenses. These and other objectsfiii'd advantages reside in 'oeftaih new reateres of oonstruoti'on,arrangement and "combination of parts as win hereiha'fter he more trulydeed and pointed out in the appended Claims.

Referring to the drawings: I

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a semi-riiiii'ess siie'ctacle embodyingmy izivefit'ion. c

Fig. 2 is a top the View thereof. v

Fig. 3 is an enlarged seetional View takeh on lih'e '33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary front elev'a oh of the spectacle of Fig. 1showing a modified type of lens holding deviee.

6 is an emerged setiohm viewtaken oh lihe e-a of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a freighter-fiat? view er another fn'oiiifie when I Apreferred eihbo'di'rh efit of my invention is shown in Figs. 1-4 of thedrawing wherein it ihdi'cates, gene'ei'aliy, a semi=rim1ess spectacleooiii= p'r'isihg 'the s aced lenses H and 12 and the frame member [3whic is positioned rearwardiy or the lenses. The frame member |3oomph-se n s'ih'gie, integral resilient member which extends between thelenses and outwar ly beyohu the res p-active temporal edges of thelenses "ahd thence downwardly and inwardly to the rear surfaces of thelenses arid'ad'jac'eht the temporal edges thereof. "Ihi's' structure ofthe frame member provides the loops 1'4 which enable the ofiticiah toadjust the frame member 13 relative to the lenses II and I2 and thereh'ycompensate for ah'y inaccuracies in the location of the holes or notcheswhich are formed in the lenses for cooperation with the lens holdingmeans on the frame member. 7

Adjao'ent its respective ends l5, the'fra'me'r emb'ei' 1'3 -carries the"forwardly projecting braokets or fingers l'6 which are engaged innotches l"! formed in the temporal edges or the lenses. Fosit'ioriedbetween the lenses is a bridge haVih'g a substantially horizontalportion 18 "which is secured as by solder 1'9 atits mid-portion to theuhd'er' sid'e 'o'f fraihe member I3. Projecting downwar ly fromthehridge portion is are the two relatively rigid sides 19 which carry,adjacent their extremities, the hose h'a'd arms "2'0 arm the forwardlyprojecting brackets or "fingers 2i which ehgage notches 22 formed in thenasal edges of the lenses. En'dpi'eoe's 23 secured to the temporalportions of the frame member l3 fiiveta-11y support the usual temples24.

"Since the frame member [3 is resilient, the respective halves of themember l3 may he'nered from substantially the soldered "connection 19 sothat the temporal ertions Will ih'OV away fr'brii 'thelehse's andthereby 'di'sehgag'ethe fih'gers f6 from the notches H for detaching thelenses ii'o'm the frame me ber. Since the bridge Sifie's i9 arerelatively rigid, the resihence of the fi'aiiie iii'e'lh'b'i' 13 notonly holds the fingers I6 in eneasement with the temporal notches I! butalso holds the-notches 22 in engagement with the nasal fihge'r's 21.Since the bridge portion ['8 is secored to the fra'rhe member 13 at thecentral portio'fi'of the former, it is possible for the opti'ci'ah toraise or lower the sides I 9 with pliers in order to properly locate thefingers 2| with respect to the h'o'tches 22 in order to compensate 'forany inaccurac es in locating the notches. The ad j'usti'heht loops 1'4not only ermit the adjustef the fingers 1'6 relative to notches ii,

but also allow the optician to adjust the frame member l3 so as toproperly follow the contour of the upper edges of the lenses and therebyaccommodate lenses of different sizes and shapes.

In Figs. 5 and 6 there is shown the mounting of Figs. 1-4 with themodified lens holding devices comprising threaded lugs l6 which areattached, as by soldering, to the temporal portion of the frame member|3and the sides IQ of the bridge so that they engage the rear surface ofthe lens. Screws 25, carrying washers 25', are passed through aperturesformed in the temporal and nasal portions of the lens and are threadedinto the lugs Hi. In this form it is not essential that the frame member|3 be resilient since the lenses are held by screws rather than by theresilience of the frame member acting through the fingers Hi.

In the modification shown in Fig. 7, the lenses 26 are detachablysecured to the resilient frame member 21 by the fingers 28 and 29 whichengage, respectively, notches formed in the temporal and nasal edges ofthe lens. The frame member is positioned rearwardly of the lenses andextends along the upper edges thereof and outwardly beyond the temporaledges of the lenses and thence downwardly to form the adjustment loops30 and thence upwardly to a point adjacent the temporal edge of thelens. The forwardly extending finger or bracket 28 is secured to the endportion of frame member adjacent the extremity thereof. Positionedbetween the lenses is a bridge having a substantially horizontal portion3| and the relatively rigid sides 32 to which are secured the nose padarms 33 and the fingers or brackets 29 which engage notches formed onthe nasal edges of the lenses. The bridge is secured to the under sideof frame member 21 by soldering the portion 3| to the frame member attwo spaced points 34 and 35. With such a soldered connection, it isstill possible for the optician to raise or lower the sides 32 so as toproperly locate the fingers 29 in the notches formed in the nasal edgesof the lenses. The adjustment loop 3|] also permits adjustment of theframe member 21 in order to properly locate the fingers 28 relative tothe temporal notches in the lens or to position the frame member alongthe top edge of the lens to accommodate lenses having different shapesor sizes.

In Fig. 8 there is shown a further modification in which the lens 36 isattached to a frame member 31 which is positioned rearwardly of the lensand extends along the nasal and top edges of the lens and beyond thetemporal edge and thence downwardly and. inwardly to provide theadjustment loop 38. The nasal end of the frame member 31 is secured tothe bridge 39 which carries the nose pad 40. The lens is detachablysecured to the mounting by means of screws 4| which pass throughapertures in the lens and are threaded into lugs 43 which engage therear surface of the lens and are soldered to the respective temporal andnasal portions of the frame member 37. The usual endpieces 44 aresecured 6 to the temporal portions of the frame member 31 for thepurpose of attaching the temples. In this form of the invention, it isnot necessary that the frame member 31 be resilient since the lenses arenot held on the mounting by the resilience of the frame member butrather by means of screws 4|, as in the structure of Figs. 5-6. The loop38 enables the optician to adjust the frame member 31 so as tocompensate for any inaccuracy in drilling the holes in the lenses and italso permits the forming of the frame member 31 so as to accommodatelenses of different sizes and shapes.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that I am able to attain theobjects of my invention and provide an improved type of semi-rimlessmounting in which the frame member is positioned rearwardly of thelenses and extends along the top edges thereof. The adjustment loopswhich are formed by extending the frame members beyond the temporaledges of the lenses enable the optician to not only adjust the positionsof the lens attaching means relatively to the notches or holes in thelenses but also allow him to adjust and form the frame members so thatthey may be fitted to lenses of different sizes and shapes. Hence, asingle frame member may be used with different shaped and sized lensesso that the stock of mountings which the optician must maintain isreduced to a minimum.

The mounting of Fig. 8 may, of course, be provided with the lens notchesand resiliently held fingers instead of the screws and threaded lugs forholding the lenses. The bridge portion l3 could be attached to the framemember l3 by soldering at two spaced points as shown in Fig. 7. Sincethe soldered connections are spaced inwardly from the ends of thehorizontal bridge portions Hi and 3|, it is possible to adjust the sidesof the bridges, such as by raising or lowering, so that the lens holdingmeans, such as 2| or It, may be positioned in alignment with the notchesor apertures which are formed in the lenses for cooperation with theholding means.

In the mountings shown in Figs. 14 and 7, the frame member is a singleintegral resilient member which flexes adjacent its connection with thebridge so that the temporal ends of the frame member may be moved towardor from the lenses in order to remove or insert the lenses. Since thesides of the bridge member are relatively rigid they do not flex butmerely serve to hold the nasal fingers in the cooperating notches in thelenses. When the threaded lugs and screws are used in the mountings, asin Figs. 5 and 6, instead of the fingers or brackets which areresiliently held in the notches, the frame members need not necessarilybe resilient, though they must be bendable in order that they may beadjusted as previously mentioned. When the sides of the bridge carry thethreaded lugs, the former may be adjusted vertically and laterally so asto properly position the lugs in alignment with the apertures in thelenses. Although the frame members in Figs- 1-7 are shown as formed of asingle member, they may, of course, be formed of two separate memberswhich are attached to the bridge as by soldering. In the modificationshown in Fig. 8, a separate frame member is positioned behind each lensand the members are connected by the bridge.

There has, therefore, been provided a semi-rimless spectacle mountingwhich embodies important structural features while still presenting aneat appearance. Various modifications may, obviously, be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. In a spectacle construction, the combination of a pair of spacedlenses, frame member means positioned rearwardly thereof and extendingbetween and along the upper edges of the respective lenses and outwardlybeyond the temporal edges thereof and thence downwardly and inwardly tothe temporal edges of the lenses so as to form adjustment loops, abridge positioned between the lenses and having a horizontal portion andsides extending downwardly from said portion along the nasal edges ofthe lenses, the bridge be, ing secured to the frame member means onl atsaid horizontal portion of the bridge whereby the sides of the bridgemay be adjusted, the nasal and temporal portions of the lenses havingparts thereof formed to coact with lens holding means, lens holdingmeans secured to the respective temporal portions of the frame membermeans below the adjustment loops and to the sides of the bridge, saidlens holding means being attached to the adjacent edges of therespective lenses by cooperation with said parts.

2. In a semi-rimless spectacle having a lens, a bridge attached to thenasal side of the lens, an integral frame member connected to thebridge, said member extending along the top edge of the lens and beyondthe temporal edge thereof and thence downwardly and inwardly to form anadjustment loop which extends outwardly from the upper temporal edge ofthe lens, the temporal portion of the lens having a part thereof formedto coact with lens holdin means, and lens holding means carried by thetemporal portion of the frame member below said adjustment loop, saidlens holding means being attached to the temporal portion of the lens bycooperation with said part, and a temple pivotally mounted on the framemember below said adjustment loop.

3. In a semi-rimless spectacle the combination of a lens, a bridgeconnected to the nasal side of the lens, an integral frame memberpositioned rearwardly of the lens and extending along the top edgethereof and beyond the temporal edge thereof and thence downwardly andinwardly to form an adjustment loop which extends outwardly from theupper temporal portion of the lens, said frame member being connected tothe bridge, the temporal portion of the lens having a part thereofformed to coact with lens holding means, and lens holding means carriedby the frame member below said adjustment loop, said lens holding meansbeing removably attached to the temporal side of the lens throughcooperation with said part, and a temple pivotally mounted on the framemember below said adjustment loop.

4. In a semi-rimless spectacle the combination of a lens, a bridgeconnected to the nasal side of the lens, an integral frame memberpositioned rearwardly of the lens and extending along the top edgethereof and beyond the temporal edge thereof and thence downwardly andinwardly to form an adjustment loop which extends outwardly from theupper temporal portion of the lens, said frame member being connected tothe bridge, and lens holding means carried by the frame member belowsaid adjustment loop, the temporal portion of the lens having a partthereof formed to coact with the lens holding means, said lens holdingmeans being removably attached to the temporal side of the lens bycooperation with said part, and temple connections carried by the framemember below said adjustment loop.

RAYMOND F. E. STEGEMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,069,347 Williams Feb. 2, 19372,176,590 Kirk et al Oct. 17, 1939 2,236,304 Snavely Mar. 25, 19412,245,594 Kimmel June 17, 1941 2,246,507 Cozzens June 24, 1941 2,256,502Splaine Sept. 23, 1941 2,257,811 Pomeranz Oct. 7, 1941 2,257,812Pomeranz Oct. 7, 1941 2,277,118 Leavitt Mar. 24, 1942 2,383,572 Splaineet a1 Aug. 28, 1945 2,384,815 Cozzens Sept. 18, 1945 2,439,357 BouchardApr. 6, 1948 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 586,299 Great BritainMar. 13, 1947

